


Criminal Minds Fix-It

by Seasnake



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fix-It, M/M, Morgan and Garcia, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-06
Updated: 2014-08-06
Packaged: 2018-02-12 01:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2090877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seasnake/pseuds/Seasnake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Criminal Minds is a good show but omg, Reid’s latest girlfriend died! So sad for no reason. He’s so cute and sweet, he deserves to have someone at home waiting for him. Here’s a random fix-it AU. Not my best work but I'll share it anyway. Be happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Criminal Minds Fix-It

Spencer Reid’s life was not perfect. Absent father, loving but sick mother, and a genius brain that didn’t help him develop social graces. For most of his life the very thought of meeting his soulmate scared him senseless. Nowadays he had a steady job and some friends, colleagues at least. He wasn’t exactly eager to meet his mate but he was confident enough not to flee or duck under a table at the mention of a similar name.  


The rest of the BAU team didn’t to have this problem. Morgan, man’s man that he was didn’t mind showing off his wrist, once he knew Reid well enough to trust him. Penelope Garcia was written on his dark skin in pink looping letters. The analyst had the matching “very serious looking” Derek Morgan mark on her wrist.  
Morgon and Garcia were mates with an unusual relationship. The moment their eyes met and their they new that they would be together always, not romantically but no matter what happened they would have the other for support, a rock. And that is exactly what they both needed.  


Hotchner was mates with his wife, he confirmed it to the team when it came up in conversation once.  


With Morgan and Garcia tag-teaming him for information, saying that they had no room to judge him considering they were a rare pair of non-romantic mates, and a few celebratory drinks after a case, Spencer admitted that his mate was male. One thing to say in favor of Las Vegas, it is not the worst place in the US to grow up with a boy’s name on your wrist, but it was just another thing to set him apart from everyone else. After lamenting on that hardship, it didn’t take much prodding for him to spill the specific name.  


The subject wasn’t brought up again for a little while. Then after an unpleasant case with a killer slicing off people’s marks, Garcia sheepishly approached Reid with a bundle of paper. Sorry, it was probably insensitive of her but she couldn’t help looking, that was just what she did. She didn’t mean to pry, she didn’t hack anything illegally, and she already deleted most of her searches. But, because she had it anyway, did he want it? Spencer surprised himself by accepting the list.  


The papers of matching names stayed in his home desk drawer for over a month. It took a particularly trying case and some encouraging words from Gideon and his mother, on one of her lucid days, before he opened it. Garcia had already filtered the possible matches by age and any name changes. Younger men with the birth name Hankel were at the top of the list the last pages had the names of anyone over 50 or married but not registered as matched. Unlike many others Spencer’s name wasn’t overly common. With effort he could probably work his way through the entire list of last known addresses and phone numbers.  


He could have put it back but he saw the young woman that had been targeted by a cult because she thought her soulmate wasn’t coming. His mate might be waiting for him. Realistically he knew that he may as well pick one at random but he was drawn to one address half-way down the first page, one of the few without a phone number. Before he could change his mind he called the airport and bought a ticket to Georgia.  


The next morning he was packed and ready to leave, although he was slightly hopping to get an emergency call to end his weekend off. He spent the wait in the airport calling some of the phone numbers on his list. Most of the young men on the other end were perfectly polite. Sorry, they didn’t the name Spencer on their wrist but they wished him luck. Only one of them told him he was going to rot in hell for being a homosexual and then hung up before he could explain that actually only considered himself a three on the Kinsley scale.  


In the end his phone did not save him from having to take the flight. Really, it wasn’t so bad. He brought the books he was planning to read so it wasn’t much different than spending the weekend at home. Although, the person behind him kept kicking his seat. It was early afternoon when the plane landed so he ate a quick lunch then found the taxi service that he had contacted ahead of time about taking him over an hour from the airport.  


He read in silence for the first half-hour before the driver became curious.  


“So what are you doing out here? Seeing family that can’t drive?”  


“Sort of, I’m well, I’m looking for my soulmate.”  


“Ah, wouldn’t know what that’s like. The Mrs. and I met in grade school.”  


“Congratulations.”  


“It wasn’t always easy, growing up with the girl you know you’re destined to marry. But we’re happy enough. Best of luck, kid.”  


Eventually they came to the rural house. It was rundown and gave Reid an uneasy feeling but this was the address and he had come this far so he wasn’t about to turn around now. He had the taxi driver keep the engine running in case he needed to flee a homophobe that was angry he suggested they might be mates. He could see the light of a computer screen from the front window as he lingered by the front door. He gave himself a quick speech to man up then knocked.  


After almost a minute of silence he heard a soft shuffling and finally the knob turned. In the small creak of the open door appeared the bearded face of a man. Immediately Reid catalogued that he had wide, scared eyes, was decently attractive, at most ten years older, and wore a long sleeved sweater despite the warm weather.  


“Hello?”  


“Uh, hi, my name’s Spencer Reid. I’m looking for a Tobias Hankel,” he said in one long breath. The man’s eyes got impossibly wider.  


“He’s going to see you.” The man suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm. He pulled Spencer inside with surprising strength then quickly shut the door. Reid felt scared for second then realized that the man was looking out the front windows frantically, rather than threatening him.  


“Who?” Was this threat real? What if his mate was also a paranoid schizophrenic? He didn’t know if he could handle that.  


“My father. He’s outside. Is that your car? You need to leave. You weren’t supposed to come. How…” he turned back to Reid, still no malice in his motions. “You found me. He said you wouldn’t be able to.”  


“A friend helped me find everyone named Tobias Hankel you were on the list.”  


“Can I see it?” Tobias glanced down at Spencer’s wrist.  


“Yes, of course.” Spencer rolled up his sleeve. Tobias reached out but then paused as if he was afraid to touch. When Spencer didn’t move away he gently touched the dark signature.  


“That’s my name,” he said with reverent awe.  


“Do you have mine?” Spencer asked, suddenly eager to see it. Tobias nodded then paused.  


“Not anymore.” He held up his wrist to show a deep, old scar where Spencer’s name should be.  


“Oh God.” Reid took the mutilated skin in his hands without even thinking about it. “What happened?”  


“He cut it off. So that you wouldn’t be able to find me.”  


“Why?” He looked up at the older man with horror.  


“It’s a sin to lie with another man. But even if it was a girl, nobody would want me.”  


“Oh God, this happened when you were a kid.” He ran his finger over the years old blemish.  


“It said your name though. I remember. Spencer Reid.” Tobias said in with a bit more happiness in his tone. He touched Spencer’s wrist and hand again, almost like he didn’t want to loose contact with it.  


“I believe you. It’s just…” he glanced around. The tell-tale signs of long term abuse were everywhere. That and religious brainwashing by the looks of it. “Come on. Let’s go.” He grabbed Tobia’s hands and took a step backwards towards the door.  


“Go?” The man blinked. “No, I can’t. He’ll be back soon.” Learned helplessness, Reid’s brain supplied.  


“When you were a child he would find you. But I’m here now. We’re adults. We can leave. I have enough money for both of us. We’ll go far away and he won’t be able to follow us.” He still looked unsure so Reid continued. “And I have friends. If he ever tries to hurt you again, they’ll stop him. Please Tobias. I won’t leave you here alone.”  


Tobias looked down at their linked hands. “This is God’s will, isn’t it? God brought you to me?”  
“Science doesn’t know how mates are selected,” he gave his gut response.  


“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”  


“Proverbs 8:17.” Reid supplied. Tobias gave him something that almost looked like an out of practice smile.  


“I’ll follow you.”  


“Thank you,” he gave a sigh of relief.  


“Wait,” Tobias headed to a side room. Reid waited while he grabbed a messenger bag and a coat. Then Tobias held out his right hand and Spencer took it in his left so that their signatures were touching.  


They barely got outside when he felt Tobias squeeze his fingers. Why was obvious when Reid spotted a man with long dark hair, shouting at the taxi driver.  


“I told you, I’ll leave in a minute.” The driver argued back. Then the stranger noticed Reid.  


“What do you think you’re doing, Boy?” Tobias froze. “Running off to be a sodomite? Honor thay father, or have you forgotten?” Honestly, the man was terrifying but Reid couldn’t stay silent.  


“‘Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.’ Colossians 3:21 And Proverbs 23:24 ‘The father of a righteous man has great joy;  
he who has a wise son delights in him.’” Quoting came naturally to him. “Fathers are also supposed to respect their sons. And, and it’s not a sin for sons to leave and seek their own fortunes.”  


“‘He who curses his mother or his father shall surely be put to death’.” Tobias’s father growled back. Tobias whimpered.  


“‘Above all cruelties is to keep apart those of destined names.’ ‘Such a match made by God shall be questioned by none but God.’” Reid continued with quotes about soulmates. “And God’s word that’s what we follow, even if it goes against our fathers,” he glanced behind him, hoping to get through to Tobias, that he could convince him to leave his abuser. The man radiated furry and took a couple menacing steps towards them.  


“You dare question me, Boy?”  


“If you’re threatening me, that goes against the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ or ‘Thou shalt not murder’ depending on the translation,” Reid said rather uselessly. Tobias stood, pleading behind him.  


“Alright, back away from the boys, freak show.” The driver stepped out of the door with a tire iron in hand. Tobias’s father eyed the other man, then back to Spencer. Apparently deciding he was outmatched he made a b-line to towards the barn.  
Reid didn’t wait to see what weapon he would come back with. “Drive! Tobias, please.” He pulled the shocked man to the waiting car. Tobias stumbled behind him, not resisting or helping. He managed to drag Tobias into the car right as the driver hit the gas. Reid leaned against the seat to catch his breath.  


“Just so you boys know, I’m not stopping till I reach the nearest police station that I know will have multiple armed officers between me and that guy,” the driver announced from the front seat. He wasn’t particularly obeying the speed limits of the country roads.  


“That’s probably for the best,” Spencer responded to the driver while turning to check on Tobias. The man had curled into a protective ball and was muttering/hyperventilating into his hands. “Tobias?”  


“I need to go back. He’s going to find me and he’s going to hurt you.”  


“He won’t find us.” Reid probably should have put on his seatbelt but instead scooted over to wrap his arms around his shaking soulmate.  


“He always does.”  


“He won’t this time. We are going to go far away and if he tries to follow us my friends will protect us.” Tobias didn’t move away but shook his head. “He’s done bad things to you hasn’t he?”  


“He’s my father.”  


“That doesn’t make it right. Please, leave with me. It’s not a sin to leave. Genesis 2:24 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.’ Proverbs 22:6 ‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’”  


“Proverbs 13:24 ‘He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him’. ‘Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.’” Tobias said in defense of his father.  


“That’s not discipline. ‘All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. Isaiah 54:13-14’.”  


“John 13:34-35 ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’” Tobias uncurled from his ball slightly.  


“John 4:18 ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.’” Quoting the bible back and forth had a relaxing affect on Tobias.  
Reid got him sitting up enough so that he could buckle both their seatbelts. Tobias didn’t let go of his hand, not that Spencer wanted him to. They carried on reciting passages with Spencer glancing at his phone waiting for it to have a signal. Tobias squeezed his hand gently when he proved to know even more of the obscure texts. With the frantic man a bit calmer he paused their chat when his cell phone showed a few bars.  


“911, what is your emergency?”  


“Hello, I didn’t know the number for the Atlanta police station. But I would like to inform the officers that we are coming into the city on, sorry what highway is this?” he asked the driver then recited the directions to the operator.  


“What’s the nature of your emergency?”  


“A man threatened us and is probably following us. We haven’t seen him since we started driving but I doubt he’s given up.”  


“Are they going to hurt him?” Tobias asked.  


“I’m calling ahead so that they know what’s going on and won’t hurt him. Tobias, what’s your father’s name?”  


“Charles.”  


“Just to be clear, sir, this man threatened to kill you before you drove away?”  


“Yes, his name is Charles Hankel. We have about half an hour out until we reach the station. Can tell them we’re coming?”  


“I’ll let them know. Is there anything else you need?”  


“I don’t think so. I just wanted the officers to know that he might follow us to the station.” Reid ended his call with the operator. “It’ll be okay,” he said to Tobias and a little to himself.  


The rest of the trip was Reid trying to recite every Bible verse that might convince Tobias to turn his father over to the police. He was running low when the cab driver slowed.  
Tobias followed them placidly into the station. Reid hung back with him while the driver got the attention of an officer.  


“You called about a threat?” Reid looked over at the gray haired man in uniform.  


“Can we sit down?” He wetted his lips and tried to speak louder.  


“Please.” Tobias had gone completely silent and vacant which wasn’t necessarily a good thing but he let Spencer maneuver him into a plastic chair. “You alright there?” the officer had been on the job long enough to recognize something was off.  


“I don’t know,” Spencer muttered. Tobias didn’t seem to want to speak so he continued. “I’m Spencer Reid. This is Tobias Hankel. Tobias, can we talk to the officers please?”  


“You’re related?”  


“We…we’re soulmates.” Reid moved their joined hands a little bit to see if Tobias would resist. When he didn’t he showed the officer their wrists.  


“Jesus.” Tobias flinched when the officer cursed. “What happened?”  


“Is there a stature of limitation on name mutilation in Georgia?” Reid asked.  


“Course not.”  


“Tobias can you please tell him what happened to your name?” Tobias shook his head.  


“I can’t. I’m weak. He won’t care.”  


“No, you’re not weak. You’re here with me. You can speak the truth. Please, you don’t have to lie.”  


“I don’t lie. My father cut the name of the devil from my body so that I would not be led to sin.”  


“Shit, okay son,” the man nodded. The veteran officer definitely had a sense of what was going on now.  


“I know he’s a legal adult but do you have a counselor for abuse victims you can call?” Spencer asked.  


“Yeah. Why don’t we get you two comfortable in one of the back rooms and someone will come to take your statement, alright?”  


“Thank you,” Reid nodded. The driver stayed with the officers to give a statement while Spencer and Tobias went to sit elsewhere.  


Alone in one of the side rooms, Spencer tried to get Tobias talking about his interests. He didn’t know what might set Tobias off if he said anything about his own life. By the time a uniformed officer and an older woman came into the room, Tobias was mumbling about computer games and programming.  


The woman was good enough at talking calmly that her presence didn’t stop Tobias from quietly answering. At least for a little bit. One too many questions about his father and he had another panic attack and insisted he needed to go to the bathroom. He let go of Spencer’s hand to run into the tiled room. Spencer decided to follow him. He found Tobias getting vials and a syringe from his messenger bag.  


“Tobias, no, please. Please put it away.”  


“It helps. I need it.”  


“You’ve got me now. You don’t need it…I can’t…I’m sorry. Tobias, I’m so sorry I should have come sooner. But I was scared. I just thought…If I knew... I didn’t think you would want me.” Spencer hugged him, shaking.  


“Why wouldn’t I want you? God chose you for me.”  


“I’m not special.” 

"Are you a sinner?" 

"No." 

"I believe you." Tobias let Spencer hold him and lead him back out of the bathroom.  


…  


Being in the FBI apparently had perks. One call to Hotchner and they flew back to DC on the private jet rather than worrying about commercial, and an appointment with the best doctor the F.B.I. had.  
…  


Spencer wasn’t hopeful when Tobias checked into the hospital. The whole team was supportive. Gidion and Hotchner had seen enough abusive parents and damaged children to call in some old favors that had Charles Hankel arrested and not leaving Georgia anytime soon.  


…  


His mother was in Virginia thanks to the Fisher King, he didn’t have an excuse to not introduce them. After the ridiculously stressful case he tried not to stress too much about how his mother might react to Tobias.  


Tobias was doing surprisingly well. Spencer was proud to say that he was doing surprisingly well too, he hadn’t expected to be capable of being so supportive. He couldn’t bare to visit his mother but somehow managed to sit with Tobias for hours. Maybe because his condition had hope of treatment unlike his mother's, whatever the reason, he could be proud of himself for it.  


Spencer didn’t let Tobias and his mom talk for very long and he kept them on neutral topics. In the end it worked alright. Tobias liked his mom fine and his mother said that Tobias ‘seemed nice’.  


…  
Spencer hadn’t meant to but he ended up talking to Tobias about Elle but it came out anyway. Elle was still recovering from being shot by the Fisher King when she found her mate, only to match that of their unsub. Her chance at happiness giving her a rapist was the last straw for her. She would never be convicted but everyone on the team knew she committed murder. It was just as well that she resigned, they would never have been able to work together again, not when she was gleeful about her name fading.  


…  
After hard cases Ried would sit with Tobias and just talk. The therapists said it helped Tobias to know that nobody was perfect that the world wasn’t black and white but still a good place to be.  
....  


Charles Hankel died in prison. Tobias cried but a two different doctors examined the body and determined that he had been sick for years and probably would have died whether he was in prison or not. …  


Spencer bought a new apartment and they moved in together when Tobias got out of the hospital. It was good to see him functioning and happy. Not that he was in the clear, he was still depressed and anxious but doing much better. He called Spencer noble, avenging angel, righteous man. He met the rest of the team and declared them imperfect but worthy. Nobody was perfect but that didn’t mean they were sinners or undeserving.  


When they had sex Tobias quoted love poems from the Bible but as endearments instead of a compulsion. Spencer lost his virginity with his soulmate between his sheets and his legs. And to all his past classmates that had mocked his inability to get a date, it was worth the wait. Spencer was still gasping and incoherent when Tobias cuddled in close and kissed his face like he was worshiping him. Spencer pulled the man closer and gave him the same treatment. Tobias’ genius computer setup hummed quietly in the other room. One was still open on an e-copy of a book Spencer had recommended. They could make this work.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not Christan so please excuse the Bible quotes I found on Google


End file.
